Lions HC Dan Campbell not worried about a running back controversy

When Detroit Lions starting running back D’Andre Swift went down with shoulder and knee injuries in Week 3, head coach Dan Campbell wasn’t too concerned.

After all, he had Jamaal Williams, who was tied for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns, to fall back on. Williams was up for the challenge, rushing for 108 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 48-45 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

And as Swift works his way back to full health and looks to reclaim his spot in the lineup, Campbell isn’t concerned about a running back controversy, either. In fact, having both running backs healthy, according to Campbell, creates more matchup problems for opposing defenses.

“I think, what [Williams’ performance] does is, it enables you when Swift comes back to be very particular on what plays you’re giving him — most bang for his buck that isn’t putting a load on him to where he gets exposed to injury,” he told reporters on Monday. “But certainly, we trust Jamaal (to handle an increased workload).”

Before his injury, Swift was coming into his own. He leads the league with 8.6 yards per carry, and his 77 yards rushing per game is tied for 10th. His 50-yard run in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles is tied for the sixth-longest by a running back this season.

Heading into Week 5, Williams still leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns (six), he ranks 14th in rushing yards (276), and he ranks ninth in first down runs (16). Should the Lions want to take a cautious approach in bringing Swift back into the fold, they appear to be in good hands.

“Look, [Jamaal’s performance] didn’t surprise me at all,” Campbell said. “Jamaal, he’s a workhorse. He gets in there and he’s just very consistent. And he’s going to give you a full day’s work, you can always count on it, and since he took more of the load, you saw the production come out of there.”